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Spice & Ice: Recipes for Cocktails that Pack Heat

by Esther Sung

on 04/23/10 at 03:10 PM

If you like your cocktails to give off a little heat or tantalize your tongue with an unexpected burst of flavor, Kara Newman's Spice & Ice: 60 Tongue-Tingling Cocktails (Chronicle Books) is one book you'll want nearby.

Newman makes it clear that the "spice" in her title doesn't just come from chile peppers; many recipes make use of kitchen pantry basics such as ginger, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, horseradish, and even chai spices. Just make sure to adhere to Newman's number one mantra: Heat alone does not make a great drink. Too much heat, and no one's going to want a second, much less finish the first. So start on the mild side and work your way up the potency scale.

(Recipes after the jump.)

Newman sets up the recipes by providing some basic recipes for infused liquors, syrups, and dry mixes with which to rim glasses. The drink recipes are divided up by season, and it can seem like she's jumping on the seasonal-only bandwagon, but if you're serious about cocktails, the logic makes sense. If you're using quality liquors, why use out-of-season, flavorless berries or tomatoes? Alongside her own recipes, Newman includes a mix contributed by chefs and mixologists from across the country, including Nacional 27 (Chicago), B.R. Guest Restaurants (New York), and the Presidio Social Club (San Francisco), just to name a few.

So if you're intrigued by the notion of adding slivers of jalapeño peppers, a pinch of cayenne pepper, or a teaspoon of ground cardamom to your drink, Spice & Ice will surely provide all the heat you're looking for.